/ 27 September 2022

Strandloper Ocean Boutique Hotel is a honeymooner’s paradise

Oceansuitepatio (1)
Delightful: A sea-view patio at the Strandloper Ocean Boutique Hotel. Photo: Supplied

There are certainly less wonderful places than the Cape’s West Coast in this world. There’s the lush greenery along the route from Cape Town when you approach Darling and Bothmanskloof, but if you continue 40km past Langebaan, you will notice the studio-like small town of Paternoster.

All white houses, more fresh air than we are used to in Johannesburg and calming waves crashing onto the shore all make a 171km trip from the Cape Town International Airport feel like a trip well worth it.

However, that is just the beginning. There’s a small five-star guesthouse in Paternoster, perfect for you and your partner to escape to a place called the Strandloper Ocean Boutique Hotel

Upon arrival, it seems like just another white house in Paternoster, which I was excited about, but as I entered into the hotel lobby, which has just one counter and a small 

boutique shop, I began to question the five-star rating.

I am always sceptical about a hotel when I am able to touch the ceiling in the lobby, but the pleasant staff made me forget about this instantly as they directed me to the waiting lounge and offered me an appetiser while they got my room ready.

Later, I was then taken to Delphi (the name of my room), one of the 14 rooms that the hotel has to offer.

The room’s entrance goes straight into the lounge area that has a flatscreen TV, if you were ever going to use it, a private bar and a Nespresso machine. But the star of the show is beyond the glass doors opening onto the terrace, where you’ll get to marvel at the ocean. 

If you are like me and want to be a little closer to the ocean, the terrace also provides a passageway that goes directly to the beach, which is about 500m from your room.

Missing my wife at this point, I could not understand why so many people would fly out to the Maldives for a honeymoon when we have places like this at our fingertips.

It was a cold day on the West Coast and while the tantalising view kept me outside for a while, my body said it was time to go back in and check the rest of the room out.

The bedroom also opens onto the same terrace, which meant that I could lounge around and watch the waves from the comfort of the bed. 

The room also caters for the cold nights with a closed fireplace. From past experiences, I’m no champion at making a fire, but luckily when I left for dinner, the ever helpful staff began the turndown service.

When I got back, the doors were closed, the fireplace was going, I had brownies on my bedside table and the murmurs of the ocean could be heard. If I needed anything for the rest of the night, it was just a message away thanks to the hotel’s WhatsApp hotline.

The food

Fine dining experiences usually leave me feeling fancy, but not full. At Leeto, the hotel’s restaurant, a seven-course meal made sure that my belly was completely satisfied. 

From fresh oysters at the beginning to a surf-and-turf type main meal, my favourite at the restaurant had to be the refreshing berry sorbet dessert, even on one of the coldest nights on the West Coast. I could not explore the complete menu, but I was served separate halaal food of my own and the hotel assured me that the kitchen is halaal friendly.

Strandloper Ocean Boutique Hotel restaurant offers a seven-course meal. Photo: Supplied

What else is on offer

The hotel also offers a variety of other activities, such as beach buggies, hiking, boat rides and horse-riding trails.

But then there are the more serene activities such as bird watching, beach walks, whale and dolphin watching (from July to December) and the viewing of indigenous flowers (from August to October), which is what the place is really about.

The hotel makes it known that it wants five-star luxury to meet sustainability and it does this by maintaining its indigenous nature by trying to avoid artificial products.

Overall, this cute, plush hotel keeps you in tune with nature while providing the ultimate comfort experience. The ocean view is just a bonus. Starting at R3 500 a night, this place is no single person’s paradise, but I would much rather have my next anniversary here than sell a kidney to go to the Maldives. 

Drone picture of Strandloper Ocean Boutique Hotel. Photo: Supplied

For more information on The Strandloper Ocean Boutique Hotel visit: www.strandloperocean.com.